About

“Yoshiko I. Wada is one of the most important teachers in the American fiber art field. She is single-handedly responsible for introducing the art of Japanese shibori to the U.S. Many well-known fiber artists have studied with her, such as Ana Lisa Hedstrom and Lia Cook. Ms. Wada was especially influential in the art-to-wear movement.“(excerpt from James Renwick Alliance announcement of 2010 Distinguished Craft Educators)

“Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada is has chosen her subject well. As the global authority on shibori in its myriad forms Wada has, for decades, been the driving force behind this tradition’s popularization……we don’t recognize the Colossal spanning of East and West, past and future.“(excerpt from the foreword by JACK LENOR LARSEN for her book Memory on Cloth: Shibori Now, 20002. download entire foreword pdf)

Little Yoshiko (left) in front of grandma, mom and dad (far right), and sisters and a nanny

TEACHING & CONSULTANCY

In 2014, sustainable fashion company in Los Angeles, dosa inc included an entry for Yoshiko in their Glossary. Since 2010-2020, Yoshiko is Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Textile and Clothing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Since 1992, she has been a lecturer at Okinawa Prefectural University of Fine Arts, and was a Research Associate and Visiting Scholar at the Center for Japanese Studies, University of California at Berkeley. Her expertise has been sought by department stores in Japan, designers and curators to whom she has been a consultant. Clients include Colleen Atwood for the Hollywood film production, “Memoirs of a Geisha,” and Christina Kim for dosa, among others. She served as an advisor for Gunma Prefecture Sericulture Preservation Society and has been an advocate for designing with 100% Japanese silk textile – a rarity in the 21st century Japan. Since 2000, she has been an advisor to Aranya Naturals, a social welfare natural dyeing project in Munnar and to an organic cotton producer, Appachi Cotton in Pollachi, both in India.